7 Ways Home Cooking Beats Ordering Takeout

With apps that allow you to order with just a few taps, it can be extremely tempting to forgo cooking dinner. But there are often trade-offs for convenience.

Restaurant meals can contain lots of unhealthy ingredients. There’s also a lot beyond what’s in the meal that you miss out on when you’re eating from a take-out box.

Here are seven reasons why you should consider cooking dinner for yourself tonight!

1. It gives you a chance to reconnect

Cooking together can offer you an opportunity to reconnect with your partner and loved ones. Cooking has other benefits as well. The American Psychological Association says that trying new things together—like learning a new recipe—can help keep a couple connected and engaged in their relationship.

2. It’s proven to be healthier

Some suggest that people who cook more often, rather than get take-out, have an overall healthier diet. These studies also show that restaurant meals typically contain higher amounts of sodium, saturated fat, total fat, and overall calories than home-cooked meals.

When you put fresh ingredients together yourself, or get them shipped straight to your door with a service like Plated, you have total control over what is going in your food. That can make a world of difference to your overall health.

3. It’s easier to watch your calories

The average fast food order ranges between 1,100 to 1,200 calories total – that’s almost all of a woman’s recommended daily calorie intake (1,600 to 2,400 calories) and almost two thirds of a man’s daily intake (2,000 to 3,000 calories). And if you thought independent restaurants and smaller chains do any better, think again. Those eateries pump in even more calories, with an average of 1,327 calories per meal.

Making a meal yourself means you can make sure the portion sizes and calorie counts are where you want them to be. Recipes often come with nutritional information and serving size suggestions, which makes that even easier.

4. It’s a time saver

Part of ordering take-out means waiting for the food to arrive or driving to get it. Depending on where you live, what time you order, and whether or not the delivery person is good with directions, this could actually take more time than if you’d simply made a meal at home!

Cooking at home doesn’t have to take a lot of time if you don’t want it to. By using a service like Plated, you eliminate the need to look for recipes or grocery shop. Everything you need comes right to your door, in the exact pre-portioned amounts you’ll be using.

5. It can be a money saver, too

In the long run, preparing meals at home may save you money. A group of basic ingredients often comes in at a lower price tag than a single restaurant dish. You can also end up getting more meals out of a recipe you make at home than if you order takeout, or have leftovers to take to work the next day. After just a few weeks, you could see noticeable savings start to pile up.

6. It’s personalized

Cooking at home gives you the opportunity to eat the foods you love exactly how you enjoy eating them. For example, with Plated, if you like your meat more well-done, or dishes less spicy, the recipe includes suggested modifications.

7. It’s fun!

When you’re making a meal from scratch, you get to discover and experiment with different ingredients, seasonings, and cuisines. Plated offers 11 options to choose from each week, many of which are globally inspired. Experiencing new foods on a Plated night can be a great way to engage with your loved ones or unwind after a long day at work.

And as with any activity, the more time you spend in the kitchen, the better you become at creating fantastic meals!

Try Plated

Ready to put down your smartphone and get cooking? Plated is a meal kit delivery service that provides all the positives listed above and more!

Choose from a weekly menu of chef-designed recipes and get everything you need delivered right to your door. Pre-portioned ingredients are only of the highest quality, and include local, seasonal, and organic produce, plus sustainably sourced seafood and hormone-free meat.

Recipes range from dishes that only take 30 minutes to prepare, to culinary experiences that are as challenging as they are rewarding. What they all have in common is that they make dinner a joy to eat and to prepare.